Mold for building material



5. FLAM MOLD FOR BUILDING MATERIA1| Filed March 5. 1925 Feb. 22,1927.

"NINIIIWunu Patented Feb. 22, 1927.

UNITED} STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN FLAM, OF WALNUT PARK, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SUPERTILE MACHIN- ERY CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- roRNrA.

Application filed March 5, 1925.

This invention relates to a mold for casting plastic material, and more particularly to a collapsible mold for concrete or cement hollow tiles or blocks. 4

Collapsible molds that may quickly be assembled for pouring the material and taken apart to remove the product after it is set, are now in quite general use. They are especially adapted for molding wet mix concrete or cement which is highly plastic and must be allowed to set for a short period before the product can be removed from the mold. In order to save as much time as possible, and to increase the rate of casting,-

the molds are usually made so that sometimes as many as twenty or twenty-five blocks may be cast in one mold. The amount of time taken to assemble and to take the molds apart is substantial, and represents one of the chief items entering into the cost of manufacture. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a mold structure that may be very quickly assembled and collapsed.

In the molding of hollow tile, cores must be provided to lighten the weight of the finished product. This class of building material is much sought for,--since it combines strength and. ease of handling due to its light weight, as well as a saving in material. In prior molds the provision of cores gives rise to still further complication in the as:- sembling and collapsing of the mold, with an attendant increase in the time for per forming these operations. It is another object of my invention to provide such a core structure that the mold is as quickly manipulated in assembling and collapsing as it there were no cores used.

It is still another object of my invention to improve in general the construction of collapsible molds of this character, so that they may be simple to operate and inexpensive to manufacture.

I show in the accompanying drawings only one of the forms in which my invention may be embodied. The illustrations are diagrammatic to a certain extent, and it is also to be understood that my invention may be embodied in many other forms, since its scope is measured by the claims appended to this specification.

Referring to the drawings:

Serial No. 13,085.

Figure 1' is a top plan view of an assembled multiple collapsible mold constructed in aocordance with my invention, and ready for pouring;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a part of one row of individual molds;- and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a concrete hollow tile that may be cast in the mold shown in the preceding figures.

In the present instance I show a multiple mold capable of casting twenty blocks or tiles simultaneously. there being twenty substantially rectangular compartments, formed by the various sheet metal plates making up the mold. Although my present invention may be utilized in connection with a variety of forms of compartment forming sheets, I prefer to show it in connection with the type of mold disclosed and claimed in my prior application, Serial No. 583,738, filed August 23, 1922, and entitled: Mold for casting blocks. In that form there are a series of longitudinally extending flat plates 12 and 13, which define parallel troughs or compart: ments. Adjacent plates 12 and 13 are kept separated by spacer strips 14. These strips are located near the tops as well as near the bottoms of the plates 12 and 13, and fastened either to one or both of these plates. Separating plates 15 serve to divide up the troughs between plates 12 and 13 into the mold compartments 11..

These plates in the present instance are merely flat strips having one or more projections 16 on each side (shown most clearly in Fig. These projections pass through slots formed in the plates 12 and 13, and into the space formed between adjacent plates by the spacers let. A bottom plate 17 may be provided upon which plates 12, 13 and 15 rest, and which defines the bottom of the molds. Locking bars 18 may be used, which are passed through one of the projections in each of the plates 15 in a row, as indicated at the left of Fig. 1. These locking bars assist. in holding the separating plates 15 in position with respect to the longitudinal plates 12. Thus plates 15 are kept in alinement in the process of assemblingv the mold, and before the other plates 13 are assembled. The assembly of these latter plates is facilitated in this mancompartment defining" nor, since it is required merely to slip these longitudinal plates over all of the projections 16 of those plates 15 which are alined in a row. Furthermore Ipreier to make the mold with a depth equal to the longest dimension of the block to be cast, whereby a better and more uniform product is obtaincd.

As thus far described, the mold is substantially like that described in the application hereinbefore identified. For this reason, it is neither necessary nor desirable to set forth at any greater length, the many advantages and benefits to be derived from this construction as thus far explained.

In order to reduce the weight of the prod net 20 (Fig. 3) as much as possible, and to 'form it with apertures such as 19, it has been customary in rior devices to provide one or more cores t rat extend through one or the other of the series of parallel plates forming the mold. Such cores must be inserted in properly formed apertures in that series of plates, after the mold is otherwise completely assembled, and must be expanded as by wedges or the like to fit the apertures snugly. In dismantling the reverse process is necessary. This is objectionable not only because the'assembling and dismantling of the mold are thus rendered time-consuming, but also because expensive parts must be provided for the core. lVith the aid of my invention this core complication is obviated by utilizing one of the walls of each compartment 11 so that it carries permanently attached, the complete cores 21 for the mold compartments 11. As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, there are two such cores shown for each of the mold compartments 11, and sup ported on plates 13 in this instance. They are preferably rectangular or square in cross section, and taper between plates 13 and 12, so that they may be easily withdrawn from the blocks 20 after these blocks are set. These cores extend entirely across from plates 13 to 12, so as to form the apertures 19 shown in Fig. 4. Due to this construction, the mere assembling of plates 12 and 13 with plates 15 is all that is necessary; the cores 21 fall into proper position in the mold compartments without further labor.

Although it is possible to construct the cores 21 in a variety of ways, as, for example, by stamping them out of the plates 13 (in which case specially ductile material should be chosen for these parts), I prefer to make these cores as separate parts, either stamped or cast. They may each be provided with a flange 22 by means of which they may be attached as by rivets to the plates 13. Furthermore, these plates are preferably rovided with square apertures through whlch these cores may pass, whereby the flanges 22 contact with the outside surface of these plates. The cores 22 are also preferably formed with the end wall 23 so as to still'en them. and also to prevent any plastic material l'rom flowing into the core during pouring. This construction is advantageous for the reason that the plates 1 may be. readily nested for storage or shipping. the cores litting into each other.

The resultant product illustrated in Fig. 3 has the desirable qualities of lightness. The apertures 19 taper from one side of the block 20 to the other, and preferably these blocks are laid in the wall in such manner that the small ends of the apertures are up per-most. In this way a wide area is provided tor the layer of mortar which is deposited on the blocks and upon which the succeeding course laid. There is thus little danger of the mortar dropping off or slipping into the apertures. Furthermore the thickness of the block sides increases from the bottom to the top of the block, and the result is a strong construction capable of witlntanding large compressive stresses, with great economy of material and weight.

The advantages of the construction de scribed are numerous. The cost of manufacture is reduced; much fewer steps in assembling and dismantling the molds are needed; there are fewer parts to keep in proper order. Besides all this, blocks having desirable physical characteristics are produced. With the prior art cores, there is always a danger that they Will become deformed so as to be useless; it is also essential with such cores to provide substantially accurate alinement of the plates through which they extend. All these disadvantages are entirely obviated by the present construction.

I claim:

1. In a collapsible multiple mold for easting building material, a series of flat, par allel plates, a series of separating plates between the parallel plates, said plates forming walls for rectangular mold compart ments, and a core for each mold compartment extending substantially entirely between parallel walls of the compartment, and attached to one only of the walls of the compartment.

2. In a collapsible multiple mold for easting building material, a series of flat parallel plates forming rows, spacers between adjacent plates, said plates having slots, separating plates extending between the parallel plates and dividing the rows into mold compartments, said separating plates having projections passing through the slots of the parallel plates and into the space between adjacent parallel plates, and a core for each compartment attached to one of the parallel plates only and extending substantially entirely to the other parallel plate of the compartment.

3. In a collapsible multiple mold for casting building material, a series of fiat par allel lates forming rows, said plates having sots, spacer strips between adjacent plates, near the tops and bottoms'thereof, 5 separating plates having projections passing through the slots and into the space between adjacent parallel plates, said separating plates dividingthe rows into mold compartments, and one or more hollow, tapered cores for each mold compartment, fastened to one 10 only of the parallel plates and extending entirely to the other parallel plate of the compartment. v

' FLAM. 

